1. Field of the Invention
Combined tape measure and marking device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore it has been common practice for a tape measure to be wound on a spool, with the spool being rotatably supported within the confines of a housing. In using such a tape measure, the free end of the tape is held in a fixed position relative to the article or material to be measured, with the housing then being moved away to unreel tape therefrom. When sufficient tape has been unwound from the housing, a graduation on the tape is in alignment with that portion of the article or material to be measured, with the housing being lowered to rest on the article or material while the tape is held in a fixed position thereon. A separate pencil or other marking device is then used to indicate the measured distance on the article or material.
This is a cumbersome operation, and one that occasionally results in error due to the number of steps involved in measuring and marking a desired length on an article or other material.
The purpose of the present invention is to supply a combined tape measure and marking device in which the device is held in one hand, with the other hand holding the free end of the tape at a desired location on the article or material to be measured, and the device being moved away from the fixed free end. When the device has a graduation in alignment with a desired portion of the article or material, a pivotally supported on the device is pivoted from a second to a first position where an arrow on the arm is placed in precise alignment with the graduation that indicates the measurement and thereafter, a marking device on the arm is actuated to form a mark on the article or material that is in precise transverse alignment with the arrow. Upon completion of the measuring operation, the free end of the tape is released, and the tape retracted into the housing either by spring means or by manual rotation of the spool to accomplish this result.
Concurrently with termination of the measuring operation, the arm is released and automatically pivots from a first to a second position, and as it so does, the marking quill that resulted in the mark on the article or material is automatically retracted to a concealed position, where it will not inadvertently further mark the article or material being measured.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a combined tape measure and marking device that has a simple mechanical structure, is easy to use, can be fabricated from standard commercially available materials, and due to the simplicity thereof may be retailed at a sufficiently low price as to encourage the widespread use thereof.
A further object of the invention is to supply a combined tape measure and marking device that permits measuring operations to be carried out with greater rapidity than with previously available devices of the same nature, and with human errors resulting from measuring being substantially eliminated due to the manner in which the measuring device is used to both measure and mark an article or other products such as sheet materials.